Phish's Trey Anastasio to Premiere "Petrichor" in September

Composer/guitarist/vocalist Trey Anastasio is expanding musically, yet again, as he will premiere Petrichor, an ambitious new piece for guitar and orchestra, on a three-city West Coast run this fall.

Anastasio has long incorporated classical elements in his group's compositions and his solo work.

Petrichor will have its world premiere on September 9 at Portland's Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, where Anastasio will be joined by the Oregon Symphony.

He will perform with the Seattle Symphony at Benaroya Hall on September 11 and with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl on September 26. Scott Dunn of the L.A. Philharmonic, who partnered with Anastasio on his 2012 orchestral tour, will conduct all three performances. The program will also feature orchestral versions of songs by Phish and from Anastasio's solo repertoire.

So it's a full-on immersion into the Anastasio catalog and breadth of work.

"It's always exciting to perform with an orchestra. When I get a handshake or a nod of the head from the concertmaster at the end of the show, it just gives me chills," says Anastasio. "I try to bring pieces that are going to be challenging and fun to play – pieces that spotlight the level of musical elegance that's capable with an orchestra, that's only capable with an orchestra."

Named for the scent the ground gives off after the season's first rain, Petrichor celebrates the process of rebirth and transformation that a storm sets in motion.

Mmmm! LOVE that smell.

"I love the concept that beautiful gifts come often wrapped in not-so-beautiful packages," explains Anastasio. "The idea of a storm coming through - it's a little scary and it's a little dark, but after it's over it leaves this beautiful scent of renewal. Sometimes a big storm is exactly what you need."